Kashmiris made to shout anti-Pak slogans in Noida

Three Kashmiri students from a private university in Greater Noida were beaten up and forced to shout “anti-Pakistan” slogans by fellow students on Saturday night — almost a replay of the Meerut incident where 67 students from the Valley had been suspended for cheering on the Pakistan cricket team.

The incident occurred at an apartment block in Sector Pi in Greater Noida that serves as a common hostel for BTech students of various universities in Greater Noida. Six students, all attending private colleges, barged into the Kashmiri students’ room, beat them and forced them to shout slogans against Pakistan.

On Sunday morning, around 100 Kashmiri students residing in the common hostel protested outside the society with bags packed.

“We don’t feel safe here. Those boys were completely drunk when they entered our room. We called the police but they did not get here on time,” said one of the students.

“By the time we were informed of the incident, the students had been shifted to another hostel. We have informed the university officials about the incident and they have decided to form an enquiry committee,” said deputy superintendent of police, Noida, Anurag Singh.

“Around 100 Kashmiri students of our university have been shifted to a new hostel. We are taking all measures for their safety. We have also set up an enquiry committee,” said Utkarsh Chandra, vice-president, marketing, Noida International University.

In March, a university in UP had packed off 67 students from Kashmir to their homes for celebrating Pakistan’s victory over India in a cricket match. Days later, on March 8, six students of Sharda University in Greater Noida were expelled from hostel for involvement in a brawl after an India-Pakistan cricket match.

Watch: Kashmiri students beaten in UP hostel, Omar Abdullah slams state government